Siri Held Back by Lack of Advancements in Microphone Technology

Services like Siri, Cortana, and Alexa are being held back by a lack of advancements in digital microphone technology, reports Bloomberg, citing the opinions of several analysts.

While processors, camera sensors, and other vital iPhone components have evolved rapidly over the course of the last several years, the same can't be said for microphones. Digital microphones still have trouble focusing on filtering out background noise and clearly detecting faraway voices, impacting device listening capabilities.

With artificial intelligence growing in popularity, however, Bloomberg says manufacturers are scrambling to improve microphone tech.

Quote

"No doubt, there is an arms race," says Peter Cooney, an analyst at SAR Insight & Consulting. The big tech companies are thinking a lot more about mics than they have for the past few years. Since the 2012 launch of the iPhone 5, "microphone performance has not really improved that much," says Marwan Boustany, an analyst with research firm IHS Markit.

Click to expand...

Apple and other companies who rely on microphones to deliver queries to smartphones and other devices are said to want technology improvements that will make them better able to distinguish voices from other sounds at longer distances.

In a recent interview, Apple SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi said that microphones have a big impact on Siri's ability to understand commands. "It's not just the silicon," he said. "It's how many microphones we put on the device, where we place the microphones. How we tune the hardware and those mics and the software stack that does the audio processing." He said Apple's expertise at combining hardware and software gives the company "an incredible advantage" over companies just working on AI with software.

In the same interview, Apple execs said Siri's capacity to interpret commands has reportedly improved greatly following the introduction of machine learning, but in practice, Siri still often fails to hear commands or misinterprets spoken words, mistakes that could perhaps be improved with better microphone technology in the future.

Siri has long been limited to iOS devices and the Apple Watch, but with the launch of macOS Sierra this fall, the personal assistant will expand to Macs. Siri also came to the Apple TV last fall with the launch of the fourth-generation set-top box.

Umm, how exactly is it a microphone problem when I can see a 100% correct transcription of what I just said, but Siri still fails to do anything useful with it?

Click to expand...

Exactly. Also, if industry-wide microphone technology is the limiting factor (and has stagnated since the iPhone 5) then how have Google Now and Cortana advanced so much while Siri remains close to useless?

Exactly. Also, if industry-wide microphone technology is the limiting factor (and has stagnated since the iPhone 5) then how have Google Now and Cortana advanced so much while Siri remains close to useless?

In the long run, Siri will come out ahead. The others mentioned lean heavy on scripted responses, work great until more complex requirements arise. In the short term the other guys may perform better. Apple's approach with improved input, better hearing, will quickly catch up and surpass the scripted responses. The turtle and hare or house of cards, Apple has a good solid foundation to be a leader. Wait a year and will see how it develops.

In the long run, Siri will come out ahead. The others mentioned lean heavy on scripted responses, work great until more complex requirements arise. In the short term the other guys may perform better. Apple's approach with improved input, better hearing, will quickly catch up and surpass the scripted responses. The turtle and hare or house of cards, Apple has a good solid foundation to be a leader. Wait a year and will see how it develops.

Click to expand...

Most people here have been saying "wait a year and see what happens with Siri" for the last few years.

The other day, I used Hey Siri to set a timer. I used my Watch (running the latest live OS), iPhone 6s Plus (running the latest live OS) in my pocket, my iPad Pro (running the latest PB of iOS 10) on the pillow of my bed with its Smart Keyboard cover on. I was standing at the foot of my bed, queen size.

My Watch took the command, my iPhone didn't, my iPad...did! My room was quiet, TV on, and I wasn't speaking loud. It isn't the mics, it's Siri itself and what it can and can't do.

Sounds like an excuse because I can whisper across the room to a $45 Moto G and Google voice commands work fine but even up close Siri is airheaded so I highly doubt it's the microphones unless Apple sourced some pretty cheap ones across all iPhone and iPad models.

In the long run, Siri will come out ahead. The others mentioned lean heavy on scripted responses, work great until more complex requirements arise. In the short term the other guys may perform better. Apple's approach with improved input, better hearing, will quickly catch up and surpass the scripted responses. The turtle and hare or house of cards, Apple has a good solid foundation to be a leader. Wait a year and will see how it develops.

Click to expand...

Keep telling yourselves this. Maybe pick up a phone with Google Now or Cortana. You really think Apple has a monopoly on AI/voice recognition competence over Google and Microsoft? Please.

Exactly. Also, if industry-wide microphone technology is the limiting factor (and has stagnated since the iPhone 5) then how have Google Now and Cortana advanced so much while Siri remains close to useless?

Click to expand...

Every head to head I've seen shows that Google, Cortana and Alexa aren't any better than Siri yet some in the media and posts like this have propagated the myth that somehow Siri is behind.

I have Google Now and have used Alexa extensively enough to come to the same conclusion; they're not any better and in the case of Alexa, I think it's worse. Too often, Alexa simply craps out and fails to respond.

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.